Shara Lanel’s TWISTED MAGICK

I’m pleased to introduce another new Ellora’s Cave author, Shara Lanel. Shara may be new to EC, but she’s been around the block more than once! Even though she’s itching to tell you about her new release and her contest, I asked her to tell us a little about herself first.

What was the last book you read?

Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch was a whole lot of fun to read.

What is your all-time favorite book and why?

Romancing the Stone by Catherine Lanigan writing as Joan Wilder. My fave because it was my dream to become a writer and to have awesome adventures like she did.

What do you like to do in your spare time (other than writing)?

Most definitely read and pin things to my Pinterest boards, and I spend way too much time playing Facebook games.

I saw that you are a self-confessed Whovian. Which was your favorite Doctor and why?

Well, David Tennant (Ten) was my first Doctor and thus my first love, but Pertwee is my fave of the old Doctors. He was both kind and above it all at the same time, plus I think the story lines were very well done.

What was your inspiration for Twisted Magick?

I’ve been interested in Wicca for a while–have tons of books on the subject of Wicca as well as ceremonial magick–but I know few people would accept it as a mainstream religion, so I wanted to explore that contrast.

What are you working on next?

Icy Seduction will be my next book (unless I decide to change the title…hmm). It starts with an interesting (ie. HOT) encounter in the back of a cab that’s stuck in a snow drift. But from that tryst Jake realizes that Christine is his mate, if only he can get her to believe that werewolves exist.

I’m so excited about my first release with Ellora’s Cave! A TWISTED MAGICK just came out and I’m over the moon! Check out the blurb and excerpt below.

A TWISTED MAGICK Blog Tour needs a fab prize at the end, don’t you think? How about a $20 Amazon gift cert! Comment on any of my blog posts during the tour, then refer to the contest page (http://sharalanel.com/2013/09/05/enter-to-win-amazon-gift-card/) on my Shara blog to get yourself entered to win! I’ll draw the winner on Nov. 1st.

Shylah, a small-town teacher, has put her arcane history behind her, until two students are murdered occult style. Her Wiccan religion is outed. She loses her job and deals daily with ridicule. The obvious thing would be to leave town, but she refuses—she’s innocent.

Gabriel is a PI from California dealing with his aunt’s cold shoulder. She wants him to fly to Virginia to solve his cousin’s murder, but he doesn’t have the money or the time until he breaks a big case he’s been working on. Now his cousin’s case is three months cold with one hot witchy suspect and no proof. As soon as he sees Shylah, he wants her, for a lot more than just questioning.

Gabe has the power to make Shylah’s insides melt and her judgment fade. She knows he can bring her down if he discovers the twisted magick of her past, but every time he touches her, she can’t say no. She needs to get him to see past prejudice and help her find the real killer. Together, they make magic in more ways than one.

Shylah startled, both from the sound of a voice where there hadn’t been one for several minutes, and also at the familiarity. The deep, velvety voice flipped a switch in her body, from off to on. But what was Gabe doing here? How had he even found out about her new business? She slowly looked up, mentally squaring her shoulders. What new tact would he try today?

He gazed at her herbs and candles. “Got any pot in there?”

She sighed. “Why are you here? I thought we were done talking.”

“Like I said, I want my fortune told.”

“How did you even find me?”

He grinned as he pulled out the chair opposite her. “My hotel had the Richmond and Charlottesville papers, so I saw your ad.”

“My name’s not in my ad.”

“I have my ways.”

That worried her, since she didn’t want other Smith Creek residents finding out about her side business.

She looked up again and found him staring at her intensely. Disconcerted, she gestured for him to sit and slid her drawings off the table and into the bag underneath. “What sort of divination are you interested in?”

“What do you usually do?”

“Well, I have a crystal ball if you want the total ambience. I have the tarot or runes, which are the most popular, or I can scry into a mirror. Do you have a specific question in mind?”

He turned the chair around backward and sat down. Why did men do that? “Yes, it concerns the truth about guilt or innocence.”

Shylah grimaced. “I think we’ll use the cards, which will give you something tangible to look at.” She slipped the deck out of the silk bag again and handed the oversized cards to him. “Shuffle them slowly while concentrating on your question. But you can’t expect me to give you a reading admitting to my supposed guilt. That would be counterproductive on my part, don’t you think?”

“I didn’t say it was your guilt or innocence I was thinking about.”

“No?” She lit an incense cone in a tiny brass censer. “Pull the curtain closed a bit, okay?”

“Not all the way?”

“I like potential customers to know I’m in here, even if I’m giving a reading.” She took the cards from him, grazing his fingers and wondering at the tingle she felt. It was a schoolgirl tingle, the kind you get when you’re working with the boy you have a crush on. She hadn’t felt that tingle since high school.

The table was covered with a black shawl with Chinese calligraphy on it. She spread the cards out in the classic Celtic Cross formation, and the first thing she noticed was the death card in the future position. The death card usually meant extreme change, not literal death, but as Shylah peered at the cards and took in their vibrations, she realized that this card might mean literal death. Her face froze. Who? Was Gabe going to die? She looked up into his strong face, masculine jaw and cheekbones, kissable mouth, mahogany eyes. Once she got past her immediate attraction—again—she thought she saw an unnatural shadow across his face. She let her eyes un-focus so she could see it better.

It was a skull.

“What’s the matter? This card with the grim reaper isn’t good, is it?”